Police Urging People To Return Stolen Items

MOUNT DORA — Police said they hope people who bought stolen items from Scotty Edward Howard will come forward so the property can be recovered and more charges can be added.

Howard, 29, of Mount Dora, faces 29 counts of burglary, one count of possession of burglary tools, eight counts of grand theft and 22 counts of petty theft. Bond has been set at $151,500.

Police arrested Howard on Sept. 6 when he was seen pushing a stolen lawn mower near 12th Avenue and Clayton Street, said Mount Dora police Lt. Norman Warren.

Authorities said he confessed to a string of thefts and burglaries. Items taken include a bicycle, a leaf blower and a weed trimmer. He also admitted he took $50 worth of meat from a freezer in a garage, police said.

Earlier this week, Mount Dora police released a list of stolen items. Some of those items include Mexican pottery, a leather jacket, a wristwatch, an AM/FM cassette player, a Smith & Wesson .357-caliber Magnum handgun and a CD player. Investigators estimated the value of the stolen property at $3,240.

So far, the only item that has been recovered is the lawn mower that led to Howard's arrest, Warren said. Most of the other items had been sold, police Sgt. Mike Coffman said.

''What we're appealing to is the honest citizen who may have unwittingly purchased the stolen property,'' he said. ''Someone may have bought it without having any idea that it was stolen.''